Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness
The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

October/December 2018, Volume 3, Issue 10

A Message of Gratitude

Thank you for the privilege of serving you and your ministries for the past three years ago.  In the fall of 2015 I started gathering information for the first issue of our newsletter “Mind, Body, Spirit – Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness”.   Since January 2016 there have been 30 issues.  (They are archived at ucc.org.)  Thank you to those who shared information to include.  Also, thank you to all who expressed appreciation for this resource.

A call to another facet of health ministry is now unfolding for me.  As a result the Leadership Team is planning that with the January/February 2019 issue a new editor will continue the process of compiling this newsletter.  I will continue to support that ministry.  With prayer for abundant blessings on our diverse ministries,  Peggy Matteson

The Opioid Epidemic and the Role of Your Church

Churches are not neutral bystanders:
what they don’t say is just as important as what they do say.

-A West Virginia pastor

Background information

All opioids are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the body and brain.  Opioid pain relievers are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by a doctor, but because they produce euphoria in addition to pain relief, they can be misused (taken in a different way or in a larger quantity than prescribed, or taken without a doctor’s prescription).  Regular use—even as prescribed by a doctor—can lead to dependence and, when misused, opioid pain relievers can lead to addiction, overdose incidents, and deaths.

Substance use disorders affect people from all walks of life and all age groups. About 11.5 million Americans age 12 and older misused prescription pain medicine in 2016 (Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the U.S. 2017).  As the misuse of prescription drugs grew so did the number of people who had to ultimately turn to cheaper and m ore available non-prescriptive opioids.  The use of the illicit drugs heroin and fentanyl has grown exponentially in recent years.  On average 115 Americans die from opioid-related drug overdoses every day.

What can churches do?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recognizing that churches are willing to reach out to meet the needs of their families, friends, neighbors and colleagues have developed an Opioid Epidemic Practical Toolkit  that can be easily downloaded.  The toolkit is segmented into seven key areas and briefly covers practical ways you can consider bringing hope and healing to those in need.  The labeled key areas with a brief description are:

1. Open Your Doors – Host or offer space to recovery programs and support groups
2. Increase Awareness – To increase awareness partner with local community health experts to help educate your community about the reality of who this epidemic is affecting. Better understanding leads to compassion which then encourages action.  
3. Build Community Capacity – Offer training programs provided by community partners to train members of the congregation to become peer-recovery coaches, understand where to make referrals, know how to respond in an emergency situation, and provide ongoing support for those in recovery.
4. Rebuild and Restore – Individuals and families when attempting to rebuild their lives. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has identified the four dimensions that support moving to a successful life in recovery as:
   1. Health – overcoming or managing one’s disease or symptoms;
   2. Home – having a stable and safe place to live;
   3. Purpose - conducting meaningful daily activities; and
   4. Community – having relationships and social networks that provide support, friendship, love, and hope.
5. Get Ahead of the Problem – Focus efforts on youth and prevention. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can increase a person’s risk for substance abuse.  Read below more about the lifelong effect of ACEs below and ideas for how a church might assist individuals.
6. Connect and Collaborate - Join local substance-use prevention coalitions to inform, connect, and strengthen your efforts. Review One Voice, One Community: Building Strong and Effective Partnerships Among Community and Faith Organizations.  This guide offers strategies for churches to collaborate with community organizations to address the needs of people living with mental illness, substance use disorders, or both.
7. Utilize Federal Resources – Government agencies have developed many tools that are available free from websites. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) and other HHS divisions are very helpful.

What is the best way to respond to a person having an overdose?

If there are prescription opioids in your house Naloxone (Narcan) should be there, too.  It is an easy to administer, safe, and effective way to save a life by stopping the effect of an opioid overdose.  Understanding that its use can easily save a life Narcan is becoming available to the public without a prescription. 

In April of 2018 Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. Surgeon General stated that carrying and knowing how to use Narcan should become as “ubiquitous as knowing CPR and calling for a defibrillator when someone is having a heart attack, or using an EpiPen when someone’s having an allergic reaction”.   In our churches we support the tools of CPR, a defibrillator, and an Epi-Pen.  It’s time to consider the availability of Narcan.  The Steward, the newsletter of our Insurance Board has a very helpful article in the Summer Issue titled Opioids and your Church: What you should know.  It provides guidelines for a church choosing to include naloxone (Narcan) as part of their first aid program.

SELF-CARE

Who are your Caring “Cs”?

There are five kinds of people that we need in our lives so we may each grow towards our fullest God given potential.  Rev. Nancy Grissom Self has labeled them the Five Caring “Cs”.  

People that comfort us,
People who clarify issues with us,
People who challenge us,
People who collaborate with us, and
People who celebrate with us.

God provides people in our lives who provide one or more “Cs”.  Identify them, celebrate them (even the ones who challenge you) and thank God for each of them.

(Hollies,L., 2006, p. 105).  Learn more specifics about each “C”
in the Appendix of her book Inner Healing for Broken Vessels. 

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic events, including abuse and neglect. They may also include household dysfunction such as witnessing domestic violence or growing up with family members who have substance abuse disorders.  ACEs are strongly related to the subsequent development and prevalence of a wide range of health problems throughout a person’s lifespan, including those associated with substance misuse.  The CDC provides an extensive list of resources at  Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Resources.

As more is learned about the causes and effects of adverse childhood experiences, new efforts are emerging nationwide that help families raise healthy children and increase resilience.  The RWJF website: Adverse Childhood Experiences  collection contains resources for churches and communities working to raise awareness about and mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences, and help every child have a healthy start in life.

Sometimes, congregations must back up and start again

If your ministry is no longer achieving its intended impact, it may be time to ask why. Probing a ministry’s purpose and progress may reveal that it’s time to reverse course and start again.   Have you wondered about the ministry you lead, is it still achieving its intended impact?  You may find the article Sometimes Congregations Must Back-up and Start Again written by Dave Odom in the learning resource Faith & Leadership available from Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

Loneliness and Isolation

In the October 7^th, 2018  stillspeaking Daily Devotional – Lonely Hunter, Vince Amlin writes about the study released by the insurer Cigna earlier this year.  The study found that loneliness and isolation have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S.   Loneliness (also known as subjective isolation) is how people perceive their experience and whether or not they feel isolated.  Isolation is a growing health epidemic.  More than 8 million adults age 50 and older are affected by isolation. The health risks of prolonged isolation are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. 

We speak of being a church family or a church community.  Our opportunity to worship and fellowship together develops connections between individuals.  We can assist in reducing the isolation of individuals by:

• Addressing transportation challenges
• Addressing health issues such as hearing loss, mobility impairments and supporting chronic disease self-management
• Identifying life transitions, role loss or change as times of risk and offering options
• Addressing social barriers with intergenerational programs, lifelong learning events, and identifying opportunities for individuals to engage and contribute
• Increasing access to a variety of community based programs

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

New edition of Manual on Ministry is now available

After a four-year process of discernment and conversation, the newest edition of the UCC Manual on Ministry is now available to support Committees on Ministry in the work of authorizing and overseeing ministers of the 21^st century Church.

The role of the Manual on Ministry (MOM) in the United Church of Christ is to serve as a living guide, a grounding perspective, and a resource for shared expectations in the essential ministry of Committees on Ministry. The 2018 edition of the Manual on Ministry is the work of the Habakkuk Group, a 17-member committee called together by the Ministerial Excellence, Support, and Authorization (MESA) Team to write the vision of authorized ministry in the 21st century and to make it plain for the United Church of Christ.  You may order the new edition of the Manual on Ministry from UCC Resources: $25.00. Shipments of pre-orders will begin in mid-November.

If you seek to become an authorized minister of the UCC with a focus on a ministry of wellness, (this is now an opportunity in place of the former formal commissioning process) this guide provides the steps to follow.  It is recognized that what we do is ministry.  The Committee on Ministry of your Association guide you in the discernment of your role in ministry and the steps that are to be followed on that journey.  

Addressing Social Determinants of Health: Progress and Opportunities.

New articles in the ANA Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (OJIN) discuss aspects of these determinants in clinical settings.  Of special interest to our various practices are:

• Child Poverty, Toxic Stress, and Social Determinants of Health: Screening and Care Coordination
• Mobile Traveling Healthcare Teams: An Innovative Delivery System for Underserved Populations
• A Nurse-Led Intervention to Address Food Insecurity in Chicago

If you are an ANA member you may log in now to read them.   As of January 31^st the topic will be available to all viewers.

7 States Now Report Obesity at or Above 35%

The CDC released new data on self-reported adult obesity prevalence for all 50 states.    The 2017 Adult Obesity  study found that obesity prevalence ranged from a low of 22.6% in Colorado to a high of 38.1% in West Virginia.  Adults with obesity are at an increased risk for many serious health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and poorer mental health.  Children with obesity are more likely to become adults with obesity.  

Turning the tide on obesity will take a comprehensive by all parts of society.  To protect the health of the next generation support for healthy behaviors such as healthy eating, better sleep, stress management, and physical activity should start early and expand across the lifespan.  There are many evidence-based resources available through the Health and Human Services (HHS) websites that will guide your choice of programing.  

A resource that provides a new perspective is the site  Weight of the World – Connecting individuals through the power of the personal story.   There are several resources here that haven’t appeared elsewhere.

Monthly Announcement of Mental Health Resources

Mental Health First Aider eNews is a bi-weekly newsletter that provides news, updates, and useful resources.  Previous newsletters are posted at  https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/first-aider-newsletter/#

Mental Health First Aid Blog is available at: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/news-and-updates/

Conferences and Meetings

Jan. 23-27     Creating Change Conference – Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.  Presented by the National LGBTQ Task Force.  More Information and Registration

March 18^th     2019 Refresh Your Soul Conference Living Well with Purpose at Xavier University Cintas Center.  For more information contact Jeanne Palcic at jpalcic@erslife.org

June 18-20^th  National ONA Gathering, Milwaukee, WI

DATES TO PUT ON YOUR PLANNING CALENDAR

Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate your health ministry activities with other activities in your church such as advocating for a just wage, working with the building and grounds committee addressing access issues, collaborating with the Christian Education committee regarding the health needs of students with medical or behavioral issues, etc.

Dec. 1^st   World AIDS Day – A day to honor those who have died and re-commit to ending the AIDS epidemic. Worship materials are available on the UCAN pages of the UCC.org website.

Dec. 10^th   Human Rights Day – Advocating for all God’s children.
Search the UCC.org site using the words Human Rights Day to find a liturgy to use in worship, an Intercessory Prayer as well as stories of the actions the UCC and other denominations have taken to advocate for human rights for all.

Jan. 27^th   Health and Human Services Sunday

June 21^st – 25^th   UCC General Synod, Milwaukee, WI

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?
Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?
That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably. 

Contact: Peggy Matteson

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness
The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

September 2018, Volume 3, Issue 9

Sharing activities & resources is one way we minister to each other.  
Volunteers are needed to continue this newsletter.
If you can create a Word document you can do this.
Orientation and sites for resources will be provided.
Please contact: peggymatteson@cox.net

PLANNING FOR HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

This is the time of the year when we are coordinating with other church staff the variety of activities that will occur between the middle of November and Epiphany, the first weekend in January.  There may be plans to expand visitation activities, go caroling, share gifts such as bake goods or plants, support to those who find the holiday period difficult, or are affected as the darkness of night before the winter solstice.

How do these activities interrelate relate to a ministry of health?

• Are there people in your congregation who will be spending Thanksgiving alone because family members or close friends aren’t around?

Organize a “church family” Thanksgiving dinner at the church.  This isn’t a soup kitchen meal.  It is a church family potluck where the church supplies the turkey and attendees bring their favorite Thanksgiving food item.  The various food items brought to share in turn leads to the sharing of memories from past Thanksgivings.   The tasks of set-up, cleanup and distribution of leftovers are shared just as they would be within any family gathering.  This event also supports families who are facing the holidays after the death of a loved one, people new to the church and community, and those who have a family member who has to work so no dinner is happening at home, etc.

• Is there a cookie exchange planned?

Suggest that each package be labeled with a complete list of ingredients so the chance of allergic reactions is reduced. 

• Are food items being taken as Advent gifts to the home-based or those in residential facilities?

Review the list of recipients and offer guidance if you are aware of any dietary limitations.  Authentic caring shows when the item given is something the recipient can safely eat.

• Will flowers, small plants or pieces of pine be shared?

Suggest the selection of items that have no or extremely low levels of fragrances, other wise the recipient may have to remove them from their room or home.

• Are trips for caroling being planned?

During the winter months contagious illnesses are common.

Plan ahead and call individuals in their homes and residential facilities to receive permission for a visit.  Explain to the listeners you will not be coming in.  Explain to the singers why you will not be having close contact with their audiences.

• How are you supporting those who find Advent a difficult time?

Collaborate with the pastor in offering a special service.  The most common services are either “Blue” Christmas or The Longest Night. 

- A  ‘Blue” Christmas service focuses on recognizing that for a variety of reasons many of us do not feel the joy that is advertised in the media and expressed by others.  This is especially true if a person has experienced the loss of a loved one or other tragedy.  The service validates the pain, emptiness, or loss that may be felt, supports the person in using healthy means to bear it, and most importantly provides a reminder that God is still present. 

- The Longest Night service is generally held the evening of the winter solstice.  This is the longest night of darkness in the year.  After that date the time of daylight increases each day until the summer solstice in June.   The symbolism of the light returning may be addressed in within a variety of themes. 

- A church may offer a service focused more on one or the other of these themes, however many combine them.   Since congregants across a variety of faith communities experience these feelings, within a community one or more churches may collaborate in offering a service to which the whole community is invited.  Resources may be found by searching the web using Longest Night service or Blue Christmas.

SELF-CARE

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118: 24

In the entire history of the universe let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today.  There will never be another one just like it again.  Each new day is a gift from God, offering new grace and new opportunities.  This day will be gone before you know it, so rejoice in what each hour provides whether it be for an activity or rest.

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

• Holiday Fire Safety

Holiday activities present an increased risk of fires.  They often involve cooking, Christmas trees, candles and decorations.  Holiday Fire Safety and Talking Points provides some preventive steps.  Following simple rules most fires can be prevented.

• Changing Misperceptions to Create a Healthier Community.

During the Advent holidays we see attendance at our services and other activities increases.  This provides an important teaching moment that could start conversations that positively affect a whole community by reducing isolating tensions and mistrust.   Jesus of Nazareth had a darker complexion than we often see depicted.  It was not unlike the olive skin common among native Middle Easterners today.   As a Jew, Jesus was part of an ethnic minority.  He was a refugee.  He was poor.  He knew the pain of being a member of an ethnic group whose culture and religion were marginalized by those in power. 

What might change if we were more mindful that the person we celebrate during Advent was a Middle Eastern Jew?   Using accurate images of Jesus might lead us to thinking more inclusively of all those in our community.  We can then “delight in the magnificent array of shade and shape, of culture and context, of personality and purpose and give God thanks for it.”  (John Dorhauer)  With intention, openness, and awareness we can then move beyond the illusion of separateness.  Honoring our human commonalities we can start to heal ourselves and our community. You may read more in an article in Christianity Today titled Why Jesus' Skin Color Matters. and a number of other articles on the web.

• Spiritual Practices that Re-orient the Shopping Experience.

For millions of people around the world, December means going shopping for family, friends, and others.  However, the activity of shopping can create feelings of anxiety, indecisiveness, and sometimes even guilt.   The article Spiritual Practices for Shopping – 20 ways to make shopping a richer and deeper experience suggests intentions and prayers to integrate into your shopping experience.  When used they slow your level of activity and refocus your mind, bringing you to a place where you nurture yourself while making important choices.  Provide the list to the congregants and discuss how they have been able to integrate these spiritual practices and how it has affected their shopping experiences.

• What Individuals Can Do to Respond to Sexual and Domestic Violence

Recently the public has been made more aware of or drawn into exchanges about sexual and domestic violence.   After learning the extent of the problem the question is often raised,  “How can I effectively intervene when I suspect that someone is a victim?”  

The Faith Trust Institute has a list of 18 suggestions in a document titled: What Individuals Can Do with links to further resources.  Also connect with you local domestic violence prevention organization and learn what workshops they offer for church and community groups. 

• Caring responds when life happens

CVS and Hallmark cards have collaborated in developing helpful one-page guides that share ideas for how to be supportive of people we care about. 

They are titled:

- Reaching out when someone Looses A Loved One

- When someone is Battling Cancer

- Awareness of Mental Illness

- If a friend or loved one is undergoing a Medical Procedure or Treatment

Look for them in a rack located beside the Hallmark cards that you might be looking at if a friend or family member was experiencing one of these situations.

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Moral Courage, Moral Distress, Moral Resilience

Moral resilience has been defined as “the capacity of an individual to sustain or restore their integrity in response to moral complexity, confusion, distress, or setbacks” (Rushton, 2016a, p. 112a).   Most individuals experience moral distress due to employment situations, activities of social or community organizations, and/or actions and activities within their church.  Moral resilience is a health promotion factor to foster in ourselves as well as those we serve.

No matter our practice roles and specialties ethical challenges, uncertainty, and distress arise from conflicts among competing values and obligations.  Upholding our professional commitment to individuals and communities requires significant moral courage and resilience. It involves the willingness to speak out, whether alone or collectively, to do what is right.  Download A Call To Action Report: Exploring Moral Resilience Toward a Culture of Ethical Practice.  It provides guidance in how to respond to moral distress and further develop moral courage and moral resilience.  Additional articles are available on the American Nurses Asso. website Ethics in Healthcare: Nurses Respond

• Why Faith Matters in Ending Gender-Based Violence

Faith is fundamental to ending gender-based violence.  Through the Faith Trust Institute website there is access to a section titled Why Faith Matters that offers educational videos that assist survivors, advocates, groups in faith communities, and allies explore the role of faith and religion in addressing and ending domestic and sexual violence. 

Some of the featured videos are:

• Keeping the Faith - How to Respond to Domestic Violence in Your Faith Community
• Battered African American Women: An Examination of Gender Entrapment
• Batters: What Does Accountability & Forgiveness Look Like?
• What to Do If a Registered Sex Offender Comes to Your Church
• The Role of the Faith Community in Preventing and Healing Child Sexual Abuse

A wide variety of other specific topics are also available.  Each one could be used to stimulate a group discussion after viewing.

• Keep Safe the Haven of Your House of Worship

The Insurance Board is a nonprofit corporation established by the participating Conferences of the United Church of Christ.  They provide very helpful resources free of charge.  The Steward, their quarterly newsletter provides relevant articles that can guide us as we strive to ensure the safety of all who enter our facilities.  The Steward Issue Archive lists the titles of articles in the 50 past issues and provides links so they are easily accessible for use.

DATES TO PUT ON YOUR PLANNING CALENDAR
Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate your health ministry activities with other activities in your church such as advocating for a just wage, working with the building and grounds committee addressing access issues, collaborating with the Christian Education committee regarding the health needs of students with medical or behavioral issues, etc.  

Oct. 14^th                  Access Sunday and Disabilities Awareness Week
An occasion when all the UCC will join together in celebrating the gifts of persons with disabilities and the strides that the church has made in being more whole through being more accessible.  It is also a day that we, the church, acknowledge the journey yet to be taken with our sisters and brothers with disabilities.  Information and resources available.

Oct 19^th - 21^st      27^th Annual National Observance of Children’s Sabbath^® Celebration, “Realizing Dr. King’s Vision: Ending Child Poverty”
Ideas for how to begin conversations with other congregations and community groups so that you might partner together are available.

Nov. 11^th              National Donor Sabbath
Donor families, transplant recipients, and donation and transplantation professionals participate in services and programs to educate the public about the need for the lifesaving and healing gifts passed to others through transplantation, while also encouraging people to register their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donors.

Materials are available

Dec. 1^st                 World AIDS Day – A day to honor those who have died and re-commit to ending the AIDS epidemic. Worship materials are available on the UCAN pages of the UCC.org website. Additional teaching resources are also available at https://worldaidsday.org

Dec. 10^th               Human Rights Day – Advocating for all God’s children.  Search the UCC.org site used the words Human Rights Day to find a liturgy to use in worship, as well as stories of the actions the UCC and other denominations have taken to advocate for human rights for all.

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?
Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?
That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably. 

Contact: Peggy Matteson

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness
The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

September 2018, Volume 3, Issue 8

Sharing activities & resources is one way we minister to each other.  
We are seeking colleagues to collaborate in creating this newsletter.
If you can create a Word document this is for you.
Want to know more? 
Please contact: peggymatteson@cox.net

Shining a Light on the Violence Around Us

October provides the opportunity to join community groups in shining a light on a commonly occurring type of violence.  Domestic violence affects young and old, people of all economic classes, people of all nationalities, religions and races.  Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over the other partner.  Domestic violence includes behaviors that physically harm, arouse fear, prevent a partner from doing what they wish or force them to behave in ways they do not want.  It includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional abuse and economic deprivation.  These different forms of domestic violence/abuse can be co-occurring at any one time within the same intimate relationship. 

In the U.S. physical abuse occurs frequently.

• 1 in 3 women experience sexual assault or domestic violence at some point in their lives
• 1 in 6 men experience sexual abuse before the age of 18
• Every 10-12 seconds a woman is battered by her significant other or husband.
• Every minute more than 1 woman reports being raped in this country. Keep in mind that this number is low because most rapes are not reported.
• 65% of victims who come forward say no one helped them.
• 3 to 4 women are killed by their lovers or husbands every day.

When we neither talk about domestic violence nor lift the victims up in prayer we are by omission supporting this violence, a violence that many abusers justify with selected quotes from the Bible. 

By presenting information in our newsletters, on bulletin boards, and through programing we acknowledge this violence exists and supportive assistance is available.  The variety of resources provided below will enable you to broaden the understanding of people in the congregation and the community at large.

Many Helpful Resources

• The FaithTrust Institute is led by Rev. Marie Fortune, a UCC minister.  The website offers resources that will facilitate programing for Domestic Violence Awareness Sunday and other services.
• Worship Resources for Domestic Violence Awareness SundayCompiled by Yvonne DeVaughn (PDF)
• Liturgy for Domestic Violence Awareness Month Submitted by COSROW members (United Methodist Church of Wisconsin) – PDF
• Prayers for the Faithful and Domestic Violence Awareness Liturgy(Archdiocese of Chicago) – PDF
• Remembering Victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse(Presbyterians Against Domestic Violence Network) – PDF
• Liturgy for Healing from Abuse for Women(The Liturgical Commission of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia) - PDF
• Across the country during Domestic Violence Awareness Month families and friends of victims gather to remember and honor the loved ones who have lost their lives at the hands of a person they once loved and trusted. Often faith communities and community organizations that assist victims work together to offer a joint service of prayer and remembrance.  The publicity surrounding these events let those currently in relationships where possessive and controlling behaviors exist learn that there are people and programs available to help them.

• NO More
  With a goal of working together to end domestic violence and sexual assault the NO MORE website provides:  Know the Facts, Supporting Survivors, How to intervene and Bystander training programs.  This training prepares a person to intervene appropriately when active abuse is encountered so that the abuser will not punish the victim later.  There is also a link to locate local organizations.  Education materials are available through local groups.
  

• Take A Stand Against Domestic Violence is a request to bring attention to the issue of domestic violence for Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) as well as throughout the year.  By taking a stand we remind the nation that there are countless people - victims and survivors, their children and families, their friends and their communities – that are experiencing spiritual, mental and physical challenges as a result of domestic violence.  Standing up and explaining the extent of the violence is the only way to stop it. Materials to share are available

• The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers a Social Media Toolkit DVAM, 2018 that provides online resources, sample social media posts and shareable visual content.

• Organize a Clothesline Project
  The Clothesline Project is a visual display of shirts with graphic messages and illustrations that have been designed by women survivors of violence or by someone who loves a woman who has been killed. It originated in Hyannis, MA in 1990 when a member of the Cape Cod’s Women’s Defense Agenda learned that during the same time 58,000 soldiers were killed in the Vietnam War, 51,000 U.S. women were killed by the men who claimed to love them.
  
  The purpose of the visual display is to increase awareness of the impact of violence against women, to celebrate woman’s strength to survive and to provide an avenue for each one to safely and courageously break the silence that often surrounds her experience by making a t-shirt for display.

• Domestic Violence Hotline
  Publicize The Domestic Violence Hotline1-800-799-7233, 1-800-787-3224 (TTY), 1-800-799-7233 (Spanish).  This is a safe site that provides information and support 24 hours a day to those in an unsafe relationship and those who wish to help them. Information is available in English, Spanish, and many other languages.

SELF-CARE

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE 

• Faith Communities are Saving Lives with Training in Mental Health First Aid.
  More and more faith communities are bringing Mental Health First Aid trainings to their members in order to increase understanding about mental illness, raise awareness and save lives.  There are two courses available: Adult Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid.  Read two explanations of how Mental Health First Aid training prepared a congregation and a pastor to become more knowledgeable and compassionate.

• Donate Life
  November is National Donor Month with one Sunday designated as National Donor Sabbath.  115,000 men, women and children await lifesaving organ transplants.  Another person is added to the waiting list every 10 minutes.   22 people die each day because the organ they need is not donated in time.  The site Donate Life provides information, answers to the most frequently asked questions, and provides a way to register to become a donor.   The donation of one person’s organs may save up to 8 lives.  A donation of corneas restores sight to 2 people.  A donation of tissue could heal the lives of 75 people.
  
  Jesus was a Donor writes Dwight Lee Wolter in a recent UCC Daily Devotional.  “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” (John 15:13)  He explains we can lay down our life for our friends after our death through organ donation.  He suggests a way we can lay down our life for our friends before our death is through blood donation.
  
  National Donor Sabbath is observed annually two weekends before Thanksgiving. During National Donor Sabbath, faith leaders from many religions, donor families, transplant recipients, and donation and transplantation professionals participate in services and programs to educate the public about the need for the lifesaving and healing gifts passed to others through transplantation.  Materials are available from the site above and your local State Team Leader of Donate Life.

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

Continuing Education

Online courses

• Healthy Boundaries 101 (2018)
  Offered by the FaithTrust Institute this online course Healthy Boundaries 101 (2018) begins October 15^th, 2018.   This five-week course allows participants to examine the complex roles and situations of ministry in a thoughtful, reflective way.  This course will equip clergy and spiritual teachers (FCNs, pastoral counselors, child/youth pastors, classroom teachers and lay leaders) in understanding the importance of healthy boundaries in ministry and to critically discern the complexities of boundaries in pastoral relationships.
  
  Week I: Live session introduction; Power, Vulnerability, and Healthy Boundaries
  Week II: Dating, Friendships and Dual Relationships
  Week III: Transference and Touch Boundaries
  Week IV: Emerging Issues in Maintaining Healthy Boundaries; Personal Needs and Self Care
  Week V: Final Assignment

• Learn about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) (Free Continuing Ed.) Did you know that Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is the most deadly tick borne disease in the U.S.?  Each year, 3,000-5,000 cases of RMSF and other spotted fever rickettsioses are reported in the U.S. including 5-10 deaths and substantially more severe cases.  Effective treatment is available, and severe and fatal cases of RMSF can be prevented through early recognition and treatment.  The CDC has developed a toolkit with resources that can be used to make your parishioners more aware of these ticks and the effective of early treatment.

Free Webinars

• Insurance Board Webinars
  The Insurance Board has provided a number of free webinars to assist us in our work with other staff, church leaders, and the congregation as a whole.  Webinars remain on the site after the initial date and continue to be available for viewing.
  
  Connect through this link https://www.insuranceboard.org/online-learning/

Conferences

• Sept. 29^th WISE Congregations for Mental Health Conference, Offered by the UCC Mental Health Network.  This one-day conference offers: ways congregations can address mental health concerns, share stories from persons affected by mental health issues, learn practical steps to engage in a mental health ministry, learn about the WISE (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, Engaged) Covenant, and network with those who are on the journey to address mental health challenges.  It is being held at South Congregational Church, UCC, 41 Central Street, Andover, MA 01810.  
  
  Flyer and Registration Information
• Nov. 1^st – 3^rd Widening the Welcome 2018: Living, Learning, Leading offered by the UCC Disabilities Ministries in collaboration with the NY Conference.  Workshops will bring attendees enlightenment in various areas including: Accessibility & Inclusion (A2A), Advocacy, Christian Education, and more.  It is being held at the Niagara Falls Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY.  
  
  Registration Open Now.

DATES TO PUT ON YOUR PLANNING CALENDAR 

Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate your health ministry activities with other activities in your church such as advocating for a just wage, working with the building and grounds committee addressing access issues, collaborating with the Christian Education committee regarding the health needs of students with medical or behavioral issues, etc.  

Sept. 16^th                   Just Peace Sunday

This year the theme is “Wisdom Cries Out!” based on Proverbs 1:20-33.  A Just Peace falls within the realm of our health promotion activities because it has a positive effect on all involved.  Just Peace is not a destination, but a path requiring awareness and constant vigilance to resolve existing and developing conflict in ourselves, our families, our communities, our institutions, and our world.  

Worship, learning, and craft resources are available

Oct. 14^th                        Access Sunday and Disabilities Awareness Week

An occasion when all the UCC will join together in celebrating the gifts of persons with disabilities and the strides that the church has made in being more whole through being more accessible.  It is also a day that we, the church, acknowledge the journey yet to be taken with our sisters and brothers with disabilities.  Information and resources available.

Oct 19^th - 21^st            27^th Annual National Observance of Children’s Sabbath^® Celebration, “Realizing Dr. King’s Vision: Ending Child Poverty” Ideas for how to begin conversations with other congregations and community groups so that you might partner together are available.

Nov. 11^th                    National Donor Sabbath

Donor families, transplant recipients, and donation and transplantation professionals participate in services and programs to educate the public about the need for the lifesaving and healing gifts passed to others through transplantation, while also encouraging people to register their decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donors.

Materials are available

Dec. 1^st                      World AIDS Day – Materials available in October

Dec. 10^th                    Human Rights Day – Advocating for all God’s children

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?
Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?
That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably. 

Contact: Peggy Matteson

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness
The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

August 2018, Volume 3, Issue 7

Sharing activities & resources is one way we minister to each other.  
We are seeking colleagues to collaborate in this activity.
If you can create a Word document this is for you.
Want to know more?  Please contact: peggymatteson@cox.net

HONORING AND PROTECTING THE TOOL FOR GOD’S WORK

To carry out that which we are called to do God has given each of us a unique tool – it is the physical body in which our being dwells.  We show our respect for this gift by taking intentional care of it.  Preventing or reducing the severity of an illness that we might contract is one way to do this. 

Providing information about the purpose and availability of immunizations for disease prevention is an effective first step for a health ministry to achieve.  Then collaborate with community health services to provide immunization clinics within your building that are open to both the congregation and the community.

This collaboration becomes part of an outreach ministry.  

August is National Immunization Awareness Month and public health departments across the country are promoting the benefit of immunizations.  Vaccines play a vital role in preventing serious, sometimes deadly, diseases in people of all ages and for the community as a whole.  This is explained at

Vaccine Basics, a site for those unfamiliar with the process.   A Toolkit promoting the importance of immunizations is available as a download from the National Public Health Information Coalition.  Supplying printed information, posters, and handouts it can be used throughout the year.      

Updated immunization schedules with the new recommendations for all ages as to and when different immunizations should be given are also available.  Also the Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers educational materials. Your state of local health department may have additional materials.

There are people within every congregation and community who can’t receive some vaccinations.  But when enough people are vaccinated against a certain disease, the germs can’t travel as easily from person to person.  The entire community is less likely to get the disease and those people who can’t get vaccinated will have some protection from getting sick.  This concept is called community immunity or herd community.   Explaining the benefit of community immunity often leads those who can be vaccinated to do so in order to protect both themselves and those around them, “to care for one another”.

SELF-CARE

As we prepare to move into a hectic period of church activities the hymn Come and Find The Quiet Center may offer a reminder to seek moments of peace.  The first verse offers an invitation and then a request for assistance in finding what really matters.

Come and find the quiet center
in the crowded life we lead,
find the room for hope to enter,
find the frame where we are freed:
clear the chaos and the clutter,
clear our eyes, that we can see
all the things that really matter,
be at peace, and simply be.”

The next two verses encourage us first to journey toward peace and then to bravely return to the world of pain, love and fear prepared to use our sense of strength as we walk with others on their life journeys. (History of hymn) 

The world of pain and fear is the one we minister within every day.  We are better prepared to accompany and support others on their journeys from our own sense of peace.  What a gift Shirley Erena Murray provided when she wrote these meaningful words and then the music was provided by Swee Hong Lim.  More information and materials are available from Hope Publishing.

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

Opioids and Your Church: What You Should Know

The widespread misuse of opioids and the resultant increase of opioid overdoses is a Public Health Emergency in the U.S.  There are more than 250 million opioid prescriptions written each year that then lead to the majority of the addiction issues. The summer edition of The Steward published by The Insurance Board offers an article that provides general information about the opioid crises and what to consider concerning Including Naloxone (Narcan) as part of First Aid response in a church

Also see below information about a free webinar on August 15th

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Dementia vs. Alzheimer’s: Which Is It?

The terms “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s” are often erroneously used interchangeably.  AARP has provided in its newsletter a resource that explains the difference and why it matters. Information and resources are available.

CDC’s Atlas Plus

The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention’s (NCHHSTP) AtlasPlus has added to the data set five indicators of social determinants of health: poverty, uninsured, less than a high school education, and vacant housing with the data grouped nationally and by state and county; the percentage of population living in rural areas nationally and by state; and the county urbanization level.   Six new HIV indicators, including estimated incidence, estimated diagnosed HIV among all persons living with HIV infection and estimated persons living with HIV infection nationally and by state, and their linkage to care, receipt of HIV medical care, and viral suppression by state.

With the inclusion of this information, we now have the ability to look at the complex, integrated, and overlapping social structures and economic systems that influence most health inequities.  Using the new data, we can gain a deeper understanding of the intersection of social determinants of health and HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB infections within our communities.

Visit the NCHHSTP AtlasPlus website to see how the burden of these diseases involve the congregation and neighborhoods your church serves. Knowing the data enables you to collaborate with public health providers in designing effective prevention programs and interventions.

Continuing Education

Free CE credit for nurses and other clinicians from CDC

In support of improved patient care Medscape, LLC provides online continuing education (CE) approved by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). 

Selected journal articles that cover a number of topics.  Find relevant topics and meet the continuing education requirements for your nursing license for free.

Free Webinars

Insurance Board Webinars
Register at https://www.insuranceboard.org/online-learning/ 

• August 8^th, 2:00pm (EDT) – Unique Risks – Preventing Sexual Abuse in the School Environment

• 12^th, 2:00pm (EDT) – Trending Risk Management Concerns for Churches

Webinars remain on the site after the initial date and are available for viewing.  Check out some of the ones you may have missed.  They could be helpful in training new staff and volunteers.
     - Preventing and Dealing with Sexual Harassment at Church
     - Sexual Abuse Prevention - policies and training staff
     - Know Your Score! Abuse Prevention Self-Assessment

• August 15^th, 12:00pm (EDT) – Prevention in Practice: Building Communities that Strengthen the Resiliency of Future Generations.

Faith and community groups are getting ahead of the problem of substance addiction in younger generations with smart and proven practices.  In this webinar learn from faith and community leaders about the strategies they are implementing to strengthen the resilience of young people to resist the pressure and temptation to begin using drugs and alcohol.  More information & registration form available

Conferences

• 7^th – 9^th Practice & Presence: A Gathering for Christians in Healthcare, at Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC. More information is available at Duke Divinity School. 
  

• 8^th – 10^th The Sacred Practice of Caring: Partnering for a Healthy, Hopeful Future. Health Ministries Asso.  Annual Conference and Meeting in Erlanger, KY (Right next to Cincinnati Airport).  Register Now.  HMA Conference Brochure
  

• 29^th WISE Congregations for Mental Health Conference, Offered by the UCC Mental Health Network.  This one-day conference offers: ways congregations can address mental health concerns, share stories from persons affected by mental health issues, learn practical steps to engage in a mental health ministry, learn about the WISE (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, Engaged) Covenant, and network with those who are on the journey to address mental health challenges.  It is being held at South Congregational Church, UCC, 41 Central Street, Andover, MA 01810.  Flyer and Registration Information

• 1^st – 3^rd Widening the Welcome 2018: Living, Learning, Leading offered by the UCC Disabilities Ministries in collaboration with the NY Conference.  Workshops will bring attendees enlightenment in various areas including: Accessibility & Inclusion (A2A), Advocacy, Christian Education, and more.  It is being held at the Niagara Falls Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY.  Registration Open Now.

DATES TO PUT ON YOUR PLANNING CALENDAR
Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate your health ministry activities with other activities in your church such as advocating for a just wage, working with the building and grounds committee addressing access issues, collaborating with the Christian Education committee regarding the health needs of students with medical or behavioral issues, etc.  

Sept. 2^nd       Labor Day Sunday
Health is affected by the place and type of work a person does and the level of benefits and compensation they receive. The UCC provides resources to celebrate Labor Day Sunday, a day to lift up workers and celebrate their contributions.  It is also a day to commit ourselves to improving jobs and our economy so that all workers have wages, benefits, and work hours that allow them to live in the fullness of life – which is God’s intention for each of us.

Sept. 16^th      Just Peace Sunday
This year the theme is “Wisdom Cries Out!” based on Proverbs 1:20-33.  Just Peace is not a destination, but a path requiring awareness and constant vigilance to resolve existing and developing conflict in ourselves, our families, our communities, our institutions, and our world. 

Worship, learning, and craft resources are available

Oct. 14^th           Access Sunday and Disabilities Awareness Week
An occasion when all the UCC will join together in celebrating the gifts of persons with disabilities and the strides that the church has made in being more whole through being more accessible.  It is also a day that we, the church, acknowledge the journey yet to be taken with our sisters and brothers with disabilities.  Information and resources available.

Oct 19^th-21^st  27^th Annual National Observance of Children’s Sabbath^® Celebration
“Realizing Dr. King’s Vision: Ending Child Poverty” - Ideas for how to begin conversations with other congregations and community groups so that you might partner together are available.

Dec. 1^st                      World AIDS Day – Materials available in October

Dec. 10^th                    Human Rights Day – Advocating for all God’s children

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?
Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?
That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably. 

Contact: Peggy Matteson

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness

The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

July 2018, Volume 3, Issue 6

You are invited to join the
UCC Faith Community Nursing Leadership Team. 

This offers the opportunity to network with other
Faith Community Nurses (FCN)
and discuss how we may grow health ministries.

 Participation includes a 1-hour conference call each month and
contributing to other activities that interest you.

Want to know more?
Contact: Alyson.breisch@gmail.com or peggymatteson@cox.net

HEALTH MINISTRY PROGRAMS and the UCC WELCOMING MINISTRIES

 “…it is futile to attempt to heal the body without addressing the
emotional and spiritual dimensions of the person.”
-Paul Tournier, physician & theologian 

The four denominations that joined together to form the UCC each brought with them with a tradition of providing ministries of health and healing by and for members of their congregations and the communities they served.  These health ministries, in addition to praying for others, offered whole-person healing for people across the lifespan by concurrently addressing physical, mental, and spiritual health needs. 

Healing is the process of integrating the body, mind, and spirit to bring about wholeness, health, and a sense of well-being, although the … disease may not be cured (Faith Community Nursing, ANA/HMA, 2017, pg. 87).   As faith community nurses (FCNs) we continue the tradition of promoting health as wholeness within the faith community, its groups, families, and individual members.

Collaborating with UCC Welcoming Ministries

Feeling welcomed and accepted in a community has a major affect on a person’s health and well-being.  Through a Health Ministry we can lead a congregation into understanding that some individuals do not feel welcomed into our faith community or have encountered physical barriers that prevent their full participation in church activities. 

The three UCC ministry groups listed below provide resources explaining the steps to take to become more welcoming.  Each of these ministries has a specific focus, whereas a Health Ministry Team has an on-going whole-person focus.   

Collaboration between those interested in attaining one or more designations as ONA, A2A, or W.I.S.E. and the FCN led Health Ministry Team focused on spiritual health, mental health and physical health brings the welcoming ministries into an already established program within the congregation and will have a synergetic effect.

LGBT Ministries of the UCC

Since 1969 members of the UCC though LGBT Ministries have been affirming civil rights for LGBT people.  The Open and Affirming (ONA) movement for full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and same gender loving (SGL) persons continues to spread throughout all aspects of our denomination’s life and witness. The UCC Open and Affirming Coalition provides leadership and resources to support local churches and other settings of the church in every stage of their ONA journey.

Ten million American adults identify as LGBT and approximately 2.4 million of them are over 50 years of age (Gallup Poll, March 2017), The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has designated sexual and gender minorities as a health disparity population.   Being able to locate safe, supportive health care is often difficult.  We support health and well-being by providing individualized health promotion information and when asked, providing referrals to supportive providers.

Resources available on-line:

• UCC LGBT Ministries
• UCC LGBT Resources
• Open and Affirming materials
• How to Become a Welcoming Church resources

UCC Disabilities Ministries (UCCDM)

The UCC Disabilities Ministry (UCCDM) encourages and support local churches to become Accessible to All (A2A) in all aspects of their lives: buildings, worship, education, fellowship, and service in order to proclaim God’s word to all people.  There are two steps for a congregation to become A2A. The first is completion of the Church Building and Program Accessibility Audit. The second is to complete the A2A checklist. 

As FCNs we know of some of the challenges experienced by individuals with disabilities and the physical, spiritual, and social effect it often has on their families.  We are skilled in interviewing and then collaborating in the development of a plan of care with the person to address identified issues.  These skills are helpful when participating in the two steps to achieve A2A designation as well as in the ongoing assessment of ever changing needs.

Resources available on-line:           

• How to Become A2A provides a Church Building and Program Accessibility Audit as well as a Complete the A2A Checklist
• Any Body, Every Body, Christ's Body
• UCCDM Facebook page

The UCC Mental Health Network (UCC MHN)

The UCC Mental Health Network (UCC MHN) works to reduce stigma and promote the inclusion of people with mental illnesses/brain disorders and their families in the life, leadership and work of congregations. 

Nurses in all practices care for individuals who are experiencing mental illness/brain disorders.  As in the general population 1 in 4 of us have had a personal experience and all have been involved in advocating for and providing supportive care to friends or family members.  Our experience, knowledge, and empathy aid us in supporting and advocating for the health and well-being of individuals and their families experiencing mental illness/brain disorders.  We assist in reducing the stigma associated mental illness/brain disorders by providing congregants with accurate information and role modeling supportive behaviors.

Resources available on-line:

• Becoming a W.I.S.E. Congregation (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, and Engaged for Mental Health) Toolkit

Other materials are available from UCC Resources such as:

• Mental Health - A Guide for Leaders
• Blessed Are The Crazy: Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness, Family and Church by Sarah Griffith Lund

SELF-CARE

As you enjoy this summer season may you be blessed:

   May the sun
   Bring you new energy by day,
   May the moon
   Softly restore you by night,
   May the rain
   Wash away your worries,
   May the breeze
   Blow new strength into your being,
   May you walk
   Gently through the world and know
   its beauty all the days of your life.

        Apache blessing

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

Spiritual Assessment

Our goals in learning a person’s spiritual and religious beliefs include: (1) to assess level of spiritual distress, (2) to enable a response that draws on their strengths, (3) to provide care that is within their beliefs, (4) to assist with finding inner resources for healing and acceptance, (5) to identify spiritual or religious beliefs that could govern their treatment choices, and (6) to identify if a referral is needed.

There are more than 25 spiritual assessment tools from which to choose. Each helps to start a conversation and we can learn about an individual’s perspectives.  Select the one you feel is most relevant to your practice. Below are three that have a mnemonic that organizes and facilitates the progression of the conversation.

• SPIRIT
  • S – Spiritual belief system
  • P – Personal spirituality
  • I – Integration with a spiritual community
  • R – Ritualized practices and restrictions
  • I – Implications for care
  • T – Terminal events planning

More information is available at Maugans TA. The SPIRITual history. Arch Fam Med. 1996;5(1):11-16

• FICA
  • F – Faith, Belief, Meaning – things that help a person cope with stress and bring meaning to life.
  • I – Importance and Influence – How belief affects self-care.
  • C – Community – Role of a spiritual community in a person’s life.
  • A – Address/Action in Care – Preference in how to address their concerns

More information is available from The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health

• HOPE
  • H - Hope – What provides hope?
  • O - Organized religion – Is one in a community? Is that helpful?
  • P - Personal spirituality/practices
  • E - Effects on health care needs and end of life choices

Source of information: Anandarajah G & Hight E. Spirituality & Medical Practice: Using the HOPE questions.... Arch Fam Physician. 2001; 63(1):81-89.

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Mental Health Benefits of Religion & Spirituality by Laura Greenstein.

Both religion and spirituality can have a positive impact on mental health. In some ways, they provide the same impact. For example: Both religion and spirituality can help a person tolerate stress by generating peace, purpose and forgiveness. But benefits also vary between the two due to the differences between spirituality and religion.  Download article here.

Continuing Education

Webinars 

Insurance Board Webinars are Free

            Register at https://www.insuranceboard.org/online-learning/ 

• August 8^th, 2:00 (EDT) – Unique Risks – Preventing Sexual Abuse in the School Environment
  

• 12^th, 2:00 (EDT) – Trending Risk Management Concerns for Churches

Webinars remain on the site after the initial date and are available for viewing.  Some of the relevant ones you may have missed:

• Best Practices for Allowing Offenders in Your Congregation: Recommendations.
• Preventing and Dealing with Sexual Harassment at Church
• Sexual Abuse Prevention - policies and training staff
• Know Your Score! Abuse Prevention Self-Assessment

Conferences

• 7^th – 9^th Practice & Presence: A Gathering for Christians in Healthcare,
  Duke Divinity School,
  Durham, NC.
  More information is available at Duke Divinity School.

• 8^th – 10^th The Sacred Practice of Caring: Partnering for a Healthy, Hopeful Future.
  Health Ministries Association's Annual Conference and Meeting
  Erlanger, KY (Right next to Cincinnati Airport).
  Register Now.  HMA Conference Brochure
  

• 29^th - WISE Congregations for Mental Health Conference,
  UCC Mental Health Network. Being held at:
  South Congregational Church, UCC, 41 Central Street, Andover, MA 01810.  
  Registration opens soon.

• 1^st – 3^rd - Widening the Welcome: Living, Learning, Leading
  UCC Disabilities Ministries. 
  Niagara Falls Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY.   
  More information to follow.

DATES TO PUT ON YOUR PLANNING CALENDAR

Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate your health ministry activities with other activities in your church such as advocating for a just wage, working with the building and grounds group over access issues, Christian Education committee, etc.  

Sept. 2^nd    Labor Day Sunday

A person’s health is affected by the type and place where they work and the benefits and compensation provided. Information will be available on the UCC.org website this summer.

Oct. 14^th     Access Sunday and Disabilities Awareness Week

Oct 21^st     Children’s Sabbath – Observed across all major religious groups.  Link to activities and worship materials will be available in October.

Dec. 1^st      World AIDS Day – Materials available in October

Dec. 10^th    Human Rights Day – Advocating for all God’s children

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?

Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?

That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably. 

Contact: Peggy Matteson

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness

The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

June 2018, Volume 3, Issue 5

Update: The UCC.org website has been redesigned.
The Faith Community Nurses web pages are at UCC.org/nurses.

Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness – A Serious Health Issue

• Since 1990, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded studies of the effect of religious involvement and spirituality on overall health. These have shown that religious affiliation is a positive factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.   Whether it occurs because religions promote care of the body or is due to other reasons has been debated.

• Subsequent research identified benefits gaind from attending formal religious services and/or from participation in other church group activities. Being with others in a common provides opportunities for social support, a protective factor that provides higher levels of health and well-being and decreases the risk of illness and death. (Levin, J., 2001. God, Faith and Health: Exploring the Spirituality-Healing Connection. NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). 
  

• In 2010 the results of a survey conducted for a consortium of AARP and its partners indicated that loneliness, as well as actual or perceived social isolation are associated with an increased risk for early mortality and may be a greater health risk than obesity and as destructive as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness Among Older Adults: A National Survey of Adults 45+.  (An overview of the findings, the full report, and a one-page info-fact sheet are available on this site.)   Subsequently a mega-analysis of research with more than 3.7 million individuals ages 45 and older found that greater social connection is associated with 50% reduced risk of early death.  More information may be found in these reports Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality and So Lonely I Could Die  (APA presentation August 2017)

• In early 2018, Cigna was concerned about loneliness not just as a societal problem but also as a health matter, sponsored a study of 20,000 Americans from Feb. 21^st – Mar. 6th. Data was collected using the Cigna Loneliness Index that was developed from the UCLA’s Loneliness Scale. The higher the higher the score achieved the greater the indication of loneliness. The findings reported by the 20,000 Americans have implications for our practice:
  • 46% reported sometimes or always feeling alone and 47% feel left out.
  • 43% feel their relationships are not meaningful and that they are isolated from others
  • Only 53% have meaningful in-person social interactions on a daily basis.
  • Adults ages 18-22 are the loneliest generation and claim to be in worse health than older generations
  • 40%of adults over age 65 reported being occasionally lonely
  • Social media use alone is not a predictor of loneliness.
  • Getting the right balance of sleep, work, socializing with others and “me time” is connected to lower loneliness scores.

• A useful self-assessment tool. Want to evaluate your social isolation risk or perhaps offer the tool to others? A simple tool to evaluate an individual’s isolation risk, as well as other resources are available at Connect2Affect

What can we do?  Loneliness and perceived or actual social isolation has become a public health issue at the epidemic level among Americans and it is having a negative effect on our health. 

• How does your church encourage fellowship?
• What activities are offered that interest different age groups?
• Are people able to get to church activities? Are rides organized between individuals or provided by other means?  What public transportation services are available?
• Can an individual with mobility difficulties safely enter and navigate the building? If individuals have hearing or vision difficulties are there ways they are discreetly accommodated?  

Resources are available at UCC Disabilities Ministries

Additional suggestions are provided in Combatting the Epidemic of Loneliness in Seniors

What has your faith community done to address the isolation and loneliness of adults within your congregation?  

Please share your ideas with peggymatteson@cox.net

SELF-CARE

A gentle reminder that we are not asked to solve all the problems of the world, we are just to continue to do our part:

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. 

Do justly now.  Love mercy now.  Walk humbly.

You are not obligated to complete the work,

but neither are you free to abandon it.

The Talmud

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

Important Update on Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why

• In March 2017 a television series 13 Reasons Why was released on Netflicks. The program was based on a novel that documents events leading to the suicide of a fictional female teen.  Health care professions expressed concern that the idealization of suicide might increase thoughts of self-harm among vulnerable viewers.  The findings of two studies indicate this might have happened.  After the show’s release there was a 19% rise in Google searches using the phrases “how to commit suicide”, “commit suicide” and “how to kill yourself”.   The increase in online searches for ways to commit suicide and the strong possibility of contagion in suicidal thinking is impossible to ignore.

Netflix is now showing 13 Reasons Why Season 2.   Because of concerns voiced about Season 1 this season at the beginning of the first show the cast members came out of character and talked about depression, suicidal thinking and how to get help.  All adults interacting with teens, particularly vulnerable teens should be aware of the availability of Season 2 and the impact it may have on suicidal thinking and behavior.   More information and some resources are available at https://13reasonswhy.info

In the U.S. 1 person dies from suicide every 13 minutes. There are more than 25 attempted suicides for each suicide death.  Before the release of 13 Reasons Why Season 1 more than 17% of high school students had seriously considered suicide, more than 13% had made a suicide plan, and more than 8% had attempted suicide.   Those numbers have now increased so we must provide information and open lines of communications.  Suicide prevention information is available at SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Responding to the difficult question.

• A ministry with people who are often experiencing heartbreak, grief, fear of the future, etc. often leads them to question, “Is there really a God”? In the UCC Daily Devotional of May 19^th  Marchae Grair explores a possible answer to the age old question, Does God Exist?

Preparation for Hurricanes and Other Natural Disasters

• The natural disasters that we experience in various parts of our country vary but all require the same general type of preparation. The site  Plan ahead for disasters provides the variety of information we need to be ready.  Information on some of the specific events are: hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, and volcanoes.  In addition the site provides a video: Six Things to Know Before a Disaster. 

Thank you to Deborah Ringen MSN, RN-BC, Faith Community Nurse at the Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, CT for providing this link.

Infant and Toddler Nutrition

• A new CDC website Infant and Toddler Nutrition brings together existing information and strategies on developing healthy eating patterns for babies and toddles, from birth to 24 months of age. 

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Continuing Education

On-line Free Continuing Education credits

The CDC is now offering free continuing education from MMWR and Medscape.  One of particular interest to us for health education is the new Recommended Immunization Schedule for Adults 19 years and older available at https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/894540

Webinars

Insurance Board Webinars are Free

            Register at https://www.insuranceboard.org/online-learning/ 

• August 8^th, 2:00 (EDT) – Unique Risks – Preventing Sexual Abuse in the School Environment
  

• 12^th, 2:00 (EDT) – Trending Risk Management Concerns for Churches

Webinars remain on the site after the initial date and are available for viewing.  Some of the relevant ones you may have missed:

• Best Practices for Allowing Offenders in Your Congregation: Recommendations and Best Practices.
• Keeping Campers Safe
• Risk Management for Keeping Youth Safe at Camps
• Preventing and Dealing with Sexual Harassment at Church
• Sexual Abuse Prevention- policies and training staff
• Know Your Score! Abuse Prevention Self-Assessment

From UCC Open and Affirming Coalition

Register at  https://openandaffirming.org/ona-webinars/

• July 10^th , 7:00 pm (EDT) Trans Family

Families with children who fall outside of the binary gender spectrum are struggling. Many of them hide, afraid that their child or their entire family will be bullied if the world finds out. Too many families find that their faith communities, extended family, or friends reject them. This webinar will offer some practices and ideas to help churches re-examine their youth ministries and policies, and expand on some methods congregations can adopt to support families while maintaining confidentiality. It will also provide information on how to support parents and help them adjust when their family dynamic changes.

• June 26^th, 7:00 pm (EDT) ONA and the BIBLE

ONA and the BIBLE helps congregations respond to the eight verses of scripture commonly used to argue that same-sex relationships are "sinful," but also shows how the Bible can be foundational for a healthy ONA process.

Conferences 

• June 18^th – 21^st Innovations in Faith-Based Nursing Conference, Indiana Wesleyan University – School of Nursing, Marion, IN. For more information go to Nursing Innovations

• July 19^th – 22^nd Infusing Hope in Nursing: A Christian Perspective, at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA.  For more information go to Nurses Christian Fellowship International Regional Conference
  

• 7^th – 9^th Practice & Presence: A Gathering for Christians in Healthcare, at Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC. More information is available at Duke Divinity School.

• 8^th – 10^th The Sacred Practice of Caring: Partnering for a Healthy, Hopeful Future. Health Ministries Asso.  Annual Conference and Meeting in Erlanger, KY (Right next to Cincinnati Airport).  Register Now.  HMA Conference Brochure

SOME DATES ON YOUR UCC CALENDAR

Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate health ministry activities with programming of other ministries. 

June 24^th   Open and Affirming Sunday
Learn more and download resources                                   

June 27^th    National HIV Testing Day
Religious Leaders and HIV Testing has information about how we religious leaders can lead by example to end AIDS.

Sept. 2^nd     Labor Sunday
A person’s health is affected by the type and place where they work and the benefits and compensation provided. Information will be available on the UCC.org website this summer. 

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?

Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?

That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably. 

Contact: Peggy Matteson

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness

The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

May 2018, Volume 3, Issue 4

Update: The UCC.org website has been redesigned.
The Faith Community Nurses web pages are at UCC.org/nurses.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Throughout the year the United Church of Christ Mental Health Network (UCC MHN) posts weekly blogs that explore mental health and addiction issues through the lens of our theological beliefs.  This resource provides our Health Ministries with information and insights that enhance our ability to merge our mental, physical, and spiritual care into a individualized, wholistic response for each of the individuals, families, or groups in our care.

The 3^rd Sunday in May, UCC congregations are encouraged to provide information about the brain illnesses 1 in 5 adults experience at any given time. Identifying a Mental Health Sunday provides the venue to openly talk about brain illnesses and dispel the myths surrounding these disorders. In doing so we are reducing the stigma felt by those who are affected and helping them feel more understood and accepted by their faith community faith community.

On the UCC MHN website the following new materials for 2018 are available:

Liturgy for Mental Health Sunday 2018
Sermon idea from an African American perspective
Mental Health and the Hispanic Community resource
Litany for Mental Health Sunday from a minority perspective
'When Mental Illness Hits You" sermon
'Touch My Wounds" sermon

Materials from 2017 are also posted on that page.

Other activities to consider offering during this month or anytime during the year are:

• A “Read Across the Congregation” book study group. The 4 books listed below, written by women of faith, provide accurate information about mental illness and offer concrete suggestions about how a congregation may help those affected by a disorder.
• Troubled Minds – Mental Illness and The Church’s Mission by Amy Simpson. Drawing on surveys of pastors from 500 churches and the latest clinical research, as well as her family’s personal experience Amy explains how a church can respond compassionately to those currently suffering from mental illness and the family members and friends affected by their loved one’s condition.  As an introduction view her describe her experiences at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tVe83WywxY
• Blessed are the Crazy – Breaking the silence about mental illness, family, and church by Rev. Sarah Griffith Lund. Sarah offers an insightful look at the battle several of her family members experienced with bipolar disorder and offers suggestions about how churches can be safe havens for people who have brain diseases and those who love them.
• Laughing in the Dark by Chonda Pierce, was written by a Christian comedian who has journeyed through depression. She weaves her quirky insights and sheer hilarity into her painful and personal story. Chondra allows us to see depression from the inside and how she worked her way out.   As an introduction you hear Chondra briefly describe her experiences within her Christian Community on two youtube  pieces:  “Rehab & Recovery” Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2twMznJHc3E and Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pn5NZY_fQk
• The Lifesaving Church: Faith Communities and Suicide Prevention by Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe, pastor of Living Table United Church of Christ (UCC) in the Twin Cities, will be released May 1^st. This book examines the role congregations can play in suicide prevention, intervention, and how a congregation can respond after a suicide.
• Invite speakers from your area’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) FaithNet an interfaith resource network of NAMI members, friends, clergy and congregations of all faith traditions.  NAMI FaithNet strives to encourage welcoming, caring congregations as well as to promote the vital role of spirituality in the recovery journeys of many who live with mental health conditions.
• Do you offer people classes on CPR and/or First Aid? The next step is to offer the Mental Health First Aid classes.  Two types of classes are available: (1) Adult Mental Health First Aid appropriate for anyone over age 18 and (2) Youth Mental Health First Aid course developed for adults to learn how to help young people experiencing mental health challenges.
  
  Just as CPR helps a person assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps them assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. Attendees learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.

• Welcome mental health support groups and provide them with space to meet. Possibilities are:  NAMI Family Support Group - a free, peer-led support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness.   NAMI Connection - a free recovery support group for people living with any mental illness. NAMI Connection provides a place that offers respect, understanding, encouragement, and hope.

??? What does your faith community do to support the Mental Health of your congregants ???

• What programs are offered that support people’s desire for mental health?
• What do you offer those who are experiencing a brain illness and their loved ones who are hurting?
• Does your congregation offer the same types of supportive care to those experiencing a brain illness as it does to those experiencing a physical illness or a spiritual crises? Mental illness has been identified as the “no casserole disease” because there is often lack of support.

***We are in the process of revising the UCC FCN Manual.  Please share examples of how your health ministry program supports the maintainance of mental health and/or cares for those experiencing an episode of mental illness.

Questions? Please  mail to: peggymatteson@cox.net.

SELF-CARE

Have you heard the term self-compassion?  When we have self-compassion, we give ourselves the same kindness and care we’d give to a good friend.  Do we deserve any less?

According to Dr. Kristin Neff, co-founder of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, there are three elements of self-compassion. On her website she describes them as
1.) Self-kindness vs. Self-judgment,
2.) Common humanity vs. Isolation, and
3.) Mindfulness vs. Over-identification.   
Dr. Neff shares guided meditations and exercises that may be downloaded from her website.  Useful tools for us, our health ministry volunteers, and for the people we serve. 

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

• Everyone has a status – The church and HIV Testing

On May 8, at 2:00pm (EST) the United Church of Christ HIV & AIDS Network (UCAN) will host a national conversation on HIV testing.  Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer, UCAN's Executive Director, will moderate this conversation about 1.) the importance of everyone knowing their HIV status and 2.) the role of the church leaders in promoting and facilitating HIV testing. 

This program will be available on your mobile device or computer and viewed on Zoom.  Go to https://www.zoom.us to open your free account.  Then do the online registration for the Conversation on HIV at https://ucan-hivtesting-8may2018.eventbrite.com

UCAN is starting this national conversation in preparation for National Testing Day, Weds., June 27^th.  “Everyone has a status, do you know yours?” The World Council of Churches website page Religious Leaders and HIV Testing has information about how we religious leaders can lead by example to end AIDS.  Educational resources are provided. 

• Care Notes are Back!

Abbey Press closed on June 30, 2017;  however the decision was reconsidered and we began again under the name of CareNotes.  You can see the online store at www.carenotes.com. They are supporting St. Meinrad Archabbey, as did Abbey Press and they are still at the same location at St. Meinrad, IN.  At this time they are offering some great discounts. 

• Posters That Encourage Hand Washing

Reinforcing the need for hand washing is an ongoing educational activity since many of those we serve are aged, young and/or ill and at higher risk from the transmission of bacteria and viruses.  The Kentucky Department of Public Health and Wellness has available on-line two easily understood posters that list when hands should we washed. 

Go to https://louisvilleky.gov/government/health-wellness.  Type in Search box:  wash hands.  The top item in the Search Results is Educational Materials for Hepattitis A.  There are 5 general resources listed that encourage hand washing. They include posters:  When to Wash Your Hands for Kids  and  When to Wash Your Hands for Adults. 

Thank you to the team at Norton Healthcare Faith and Health
Ministries for putting this information in their newsletter and making us aware of this resource.

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Continuing Education

Conferences 

• June 7^th Enhancing Your Parish Nurse Ministry: Tools for Your Toolbox, St Anselm College, Manchester, NH.  Alyson Breich, MSN, RN-BC as a Faith Community Nurse, Commissioned Minister of Congregational Health in the UCC and lead editor for the 3^rd edition of Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA/HMA, 2017) will present at this all day conference.  The brochure is available
  
• June 18^th – 21^st Innovations in Faith-Based Nursing Conference, Indiana Wesleyan University – School of Nursing, Marion, IN. For more information go to Nursing Innovations
• July 19^th – 22^nd Infusing Hope in Nursing: A Christian Perspective, at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA.  For more information go to Nurses Christian Fellowship International Regional Conference

• 7^th – 9^th Practice & Presence: A Gathering for Christians in Healthcare, at Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC. More information is available at Duke Divinity School.

• 8^th – 10^th The Sacred Practice of Caring: Partnering for a Healthy, Hopeful Future. Health Ministries Association  Annual Conference and Meeting in Erlanger, KY (Right next to Cincinnati Airport) Save The Date Flyer

Webinars

• May 9^th, 2:00pm (EST) America Walks - From 8 to 80: Creating Livable Communities for All Ages.  Register at http://americawalks.org/new-webinar-from-8-to-80-creating-livable-communities-for-all-ages/

You may register for the Webinars, listed below and available free from the Insurance Board, or go to site after the date and view them:

• April 11^th, 2:00 (EST) - Risk Management for Camps
• May 9^th, 2:00 (EST) - Ladder Safety

• August 8^th, 2:00 (EST) – Unique Risks – Preventing Sexual Abuse in the School Environment

• 12^th, 2:00 (EST) – Trending Risk Management Concerns for Churches
  

SOME DATES ON YOUR UCC CALENDAR 
Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate health ministry activities with programming of other ministries. 

May 20^th  Mental Health Sunday
Learn more and download resources

June 24^th Open and Affirming Sunday
Learn more and download resources                                   

June 27^th National HIV Testing Day
Religious Leaders and HIV Testing has information about how we religious leaders can lead by example to end AIDS.

Sept. 2^nd Labor Sunday
A person’s health is affected by the type and place where they work and the benefits and compensation provided. Information will be available on the UCC.org website this summer.

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?

Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?

That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably.  Contact Peggy Matteson

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness

The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

April 2018, Volume 3, Issue 3

The Benefit of Compensation Guidelines for Faith Community Nurses

We who are called into health ministry are sometimes unsure what we should negotiate as compensation for sharing our time and expertise.  Compensation guidelines for those employed within congregations are developed by the local Committees on Ministry within the Associations of the United Church of Christ.  These guidelines suggest a range of compensation based on the size of the congregation, responsibilities of the position, the required preparation to fulfill the staff role, the experience of the candidate, and whether the position will be full time or part-time as outlined in the Call agreement.

Few Committees on Ministry have been asked to develop compensation guidelines for the role of a faith community nurse.  To provide

assistance the FCN Network Leadership Team developed a sample Compensation Guidelines for Faith Community Nurses that is available on page 40 of the UCC Manual for Faith Community Nurses.  This document provides a starting point for a conversation with the appropriate committee of your church. The document may also be shared with the Committee on Ministry of your Association or Conference so other churches may benefit.

To reaffirm the value of having a Health Ministry in a UCC church you can download Why a Health Ministry? Posted by Rev. J. Bennett Guess on the UCC.org Health Care Justice site.

Barbara Baker, RN a faith community nurse in Dublin, OH reports that she was a non-paid parish nurse for 2.5 years.  She used the FCN compensation guidelines to develop a proposal in support of a paid position and presented it to her church governing board.  Joyfully the proposal was accepted and she is now a paid FCN.  She continues, For this congregation “I think it helped in solidifying the need and benefits of health ministry.  And I'm excited not so much for me, but for the validation this gives to the ministry and potential it provides for others in the future who may follow in my position.  As has been the conversation in many congregations, our members don't understand sometimes the positive outcomes of having such a ministry.  I feel so blessed to be called to this position.” 

SELF-CARE

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46

“’Be still’ means to become peaceful and concentrated.”

“’Know’ means to acquire wisdom or understanding.”

“When we are still, looking deeply, and touching the source of our true wisdom, we touch the living Buddha and the living Christ in ourselves and in each person we meet.”   

Thich Nhat Hanh Be Still and Know. Riverhead Books:NY.

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

#MeToo, says Mary Magdalene

Women in our congregations are experiencing or have experienced sexual harassment and/or assault.  Unless a woman believes that this is not her fault and that you are a safe person to talk to you may never know. 

We are experiencing a cultural movement during which women are breaking the silence on their experiences of sexual coercion or assault and joining with other women across lines of class and race to speak up and campaign for justice for all women.  The programming for the UCC Women’s Week 2018 built upon the public discussions related to #MeToo and #TimesUp.  Rev. Sue Blain developed a Bible study for the book Bad Girls of the Bible written by Barbara J. Essex and worship resources.  These materials may be utilized at any time of the year and are available on the UCC site #MeToo, says Mary Magdalene.   Rev. Sue Blain may be reached at blains@UCC.org   Both books, Bad Girls of the Bible and More Bad Girls of the Bible are available from UCC Resources.

• A book that may help women who have been victims of domestic violence is inner healing for Broken Vessels - A Domestic Violence Survival Guide written by Rev. Linda H. Hollies. She outlines the healing process she experienced following her decision to move forward after being a victim of childhood incest.  The seven steps she has identified as necessary for healing are: recognition, admission,  sharing, confession, reconciliation, choosing to be different, and choosing daily.  In the book she parallels these steps to profiles of both biblical and modern-day women who have struggled with similar issues.  The book is available from Pilgrim Press.  Download additional resources from the Break the Silence Sunday site.
  

• Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table

We provide a variety of educational programs that encourage healthy eating.  Now we have a toolkit that integrates healthy eating with our faith perspective and the practice of justice.  “Just Eating.  While this phrase could mean (I am) only eating, the word, just also means ‘being honorable and fair in one’s dealings.’  This play on words captures a paradox that this curriculum addresses.  Eating can be a mundane activity done with little thought or reflection; or it can be an opportunity to thoughtfully live out our faith and practice justice.” [Excerpted from Just Eating Leader’s Guide]

Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table is a seven-session curriculum for congregations that calls us to integrate the commitments and practices of our faith into the way we eat.  The study uses scripture, prayer and stories from the local and global community to explore five key aspects of our relationship with food. 

The curriculum comes with a Leader Guide and a book of Readings for Action and Reflection. The Leader’s Guide includes suggested lesson plans, leader resources and ideas for an optional meal that groups may want to share.  The curriculum was designed for small groups of 6-12 people who have about one hour, however it is meant to be flexible so that congregations can use it in the way that is best for them.  The Just Eating materials  may be downloaded from the UCC website.  This program provides an excellent opportunity for the Health Ministry leaders and the Mission Committee leaders to work collaboratively on a project.

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Reflecting on Nursing Practice

• Defining Hope

What makes life worth living?  How do we cope with serious illness?  

“Defining Hope is a story about people weighing what matters most at the most fragile junctures in life, and the nurses who guide them. It’s a documentary that follows patients with life-threatening illness as they make choices about how they want to live, how much medical technology they can accept, what they hope for and how that hope evolves when life is threatened. It is optimistic and reminds us that we have choices in how we die.”  The movie was made “to raise public awareness on the impact of nursing; and the light that nurses can bring to the darkest of times.” 

Defining Hope will be broadcast on PBS stations nationally by American Public Television, beginning April 1st, 2018, and premiering on the WORLD Channel April 30th and May 1st.  Check to see when the film will be playing in your area.   Then encourage your congregation to watch the broadcast at home or schedule a group viewing at church.  The Hollywood Reporter calls Defining Hope “A clear-eyed and compassionate conversation starter.”  See for yourself by viewing the brief trailer and downloading more information and resources.

Continuing Education

Conferences

• May 4^th          I.S.E. Congregations for Mental Health Conference,

St Paul’s United Church of Christ, Downers Grove, IL.

This one-day conference offers:

• Ways congregations can address mental health concerns
• Stories from persons affected by mental health issues
• Practical steps to engage in a mental health ministry
• Introduction to the WISE (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, Engaged) Covenant
• Network with those who are on the journey to address mental health challenges
• On-going support

FCNs find this information helpful as you more fully incorporate mental health strategies and the care of those affected by mental illness into your health ministry. To learn more and to register go to the UCC Mental Health Network     

• June 7^th Enhancing Your Parish Nurse Ministry: Tools for Your Toolbox, St Anselm College, Manchester, NH.  Alyson Breich, MSN, RN-BC as a Faith Community Nurse, Commissioned Minister of Congregational Health in the UCC and lead editor for the 3^rd edition of Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice will present at this all day conference.  The brochure is available
  

• June 18^th – 21^st Innovations in Faith-Based Nursing Conference, Indiana Wesleyan University – School of Nursing, Marion, IN. For more information go to Nursing Innovations

• July 19^th – 22^nd Infusing Hope in Nursing: A Christian Perspective, at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA. For more information go to Nurses Christian Fellowship International Regional Conference

• 7^th – 9^th Practice & Presence: A Gathering for Christians in Healthcare, at Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC. More information is available at Duke Divinity School.

• 8^th – 10^th The Sacred Practice of Caring: Partnering for a Healthy, Hopeful Future. Health Ministries Assoc. Annual Conference and Meeting in Erlanger, KY (Right next to Cincinnati Airport) Save The Date Flyer

Webinars

You may register for Webinars, available free from the Insurance Board:

• April 11^th, 2:00 (EST) - Risk Management for Camps

• May 9^th, 2:00 (EST) - Ladder Safety
  

• August 8^th, 2:00 (EST) – Unique Risks – Preventing Sexual Abuse in the School Environment
  

• 12^th, 2:00 (EST) – Trending Risk Management Concerns for Churches

DATES ON YOUR UCC CALENDAR 

Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate health ministry activities with programming of other ministries. 

April 22^nd Break the Silence Sunday
This is a time for the congregation to learn together about the realities of rape and sexual violence that women and men, young and adult experience; and about ways to create a safe community where survivors are supported in their individual processes of healing. 
Learn more and download resources 

May 20^th   Mental Health Sunday
Learn more and download resources

June 24^th  Open and Affirming Sunday
Learn more and download resources                                   

Sept. 2^nd   Labor Sunday
A person’s health is affected by the type and place where they work and the benefits and compensation provided. Information will be available on the UCC.org website this summer.

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?

Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?

That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably.  Contact Peggy Matteson

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness

The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

March 2018, Volume 3, Issue 2

“Spirituality in Medicine” - A program for the State University of New York  - University of Buffalo Medical Students

For 12 years the Network of Religious Communities has partnered with the University of Buffalo Medical School to provide a “Spirituality in Medicine” program for third year medical students.  The purpose of the program is to help medical students become excellent physicians able to provide quality healthcare that addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual concerns of their patients.

The program is based on the assumption that many of their patients are and will continue to be religious.  If they, as physicians, are to gain the trust and respect of patients they need to be aware of and respectful of their patient’s religious beliefs and practices.

The class of third year medical students is divided into two sections.  Each group spends a half a day attending lectures, reviewing case studies and participating in small group sessions with persons from a variety of religious traditions who also have experience within health care.  Each year approximately 14 different faith traditions are represented.  The volunteers share the beliefs of their faith and explain how these influence the care desired by the followers that tradition.  Considerations include the types of interventions and treatments most desirable, their understanding of the concept of healing, and the care desired when end-of-life approaches.

The program couldn’t exist without the volunteers that give extensively of their time and share their knowledge and wisdom.  The faith community leaders include clergy, chaplains, lay leaders, practitioners, scientists, university staff and faith community nurses. In 2017 the faith traditions represented were:  African American Pentecostal, Ahmadiyya Muslim, Buddhism, Baha’I, Church of Christ, Scientists; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholic Christianity, Hinduism, Humanism/ Atheism, Islam, Jehovah Witness, Judaism, and Native American. 

This program has grown out of an earlier seminar series held at The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care in Buffalo, NY.  There the students spent half a day with an interfaith group exploring “Spirituality and End-of-Life, and half a day with the Hospice staff on general “End-of-Life” care.  The original program was funded by a grant from the Templeton Foundation.  When that grant ran out, the University of Buffalo Medical School added it to their curriculum where it continues today. 

Dr. David Holmes, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, has provided leadership to this program, and collaborates with the Network of Religious Communities. The Rev. Dr. G. Stan Bratton, Executive Director/CEO of the Network of Religious Communities (one of the oldest interfaith community groups in the U.S.) coordinates communication with the diverse faith communities and traditions in Western New York. Staff members from the medical school help to implement the program.

A sample of comments from medical students who have participated in the program illustrate the value of this initiative: 

• “It was good to see other religions and see the diversity of our patients’ beliefs and how that can influence their perspective on medical care and inform us why they might make decisions we think unorthodox, giving us the background to be able to help them better.”
• “Yes, it was informative. Western Medicine can benefit from many Buddhist principles.”
• “Coming into the session I did not know much about this religion, but now I feel like I have a better understanding on how beliefs of Mormons may or may not affect medical care.”
• “This session was very useful. The lecturer did an excellent job explaining the Hindu religion and the different topics to be mindful of when caring for a patient of the Hindu faith.”
• “I realized how important it is to this patient population to not receive blood products. I also learned about alternative options.”

Every community has the opportunity to educate health care providers!  It doesn’t have to be as large an effort as this is.  Ask yourself, “How can I assist the health care providers around me become more comfortable and competent in treating people seeking care?  What coalition of religious leaders could come together to share their knowledge with health care providers?  Then talk with your colleagues in ministry and develop a plan.

If you would like more information contact
Rev. Amos Acree, RN, FCN, UCC FCN Leadership Team, revrn@juno.com.  

Thank you to Rev. Amos Acree, RN, FCN, UCC FCN Leadership Team who submitted the article in collaboration with Dr. David Holmes, and the Rev. Dr. G. Stan Bratton nrc@religiousnet.net

SELF-CARE

During the past two years every issue of this newsletter has provided information in support of your self-care.  Now it is your opportunity to share your ideas and practices.  As colleagues we can learn from each other.   Send a brief e-mail describing your self-care practice(s) to peggymatteson@cox.net. 

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

Educational Tools

• Go Further with Food – Food is Fuel!

The The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics wants to help us find easy ways to get the benefits of healthy food and reduce food waste. This will help us eat well and save money. Materials are available to educate the congregation.   Thank you to Deborah Ringen, MS, RN-BC Faith Community Nurse for sharing this information.

• Faith Community Nurse Toolkit

The West Virginia Future of Nursing (a coalition of healthcare providers, educators, foundations, grassroots groups, foundations, associations, businesses, and faith communities) provides on their websites a wide range of links to health education resources you might find helpful as well as more specific information about how to start a health ministry.  The Faith Community Nurse Toolkit was developed under the leadership of Angie Gray, BSN, RN, Director of Nursing Berkley County Health Department received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Creative Leadership to do this work.  Thank you to Deb Stankiewicz, MS, RN-BC, Faith Community Nurse for sharing this information.

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved, written by Kate Bowler an assistant professor at Duke Divinity School, chronicles her journey, with both Stage 4 colon cancer at age 35 and the prosperity gospel a creed that sees good fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. (How many times have you heard a person say, “What have I done to deserve this?”)  In the book she explores aspects of her own beliefs and tries to figure out, “If I can’t have guarantees, then what can I have?”    Kate explains her theological journey.  You can also read an Excerpt from her book or watch a podcast Episode 5: Kate Bowler on the presence of God in the face of death.   Random House published her book in February.
• Understanding the changes in Breast Cancer treatment. Many of the women and some men within our congregation and community have experienced breast cancer.  During the past 20 years research has lead to the development of more individualized treatment protocols based on the current use of molecular predictive tests.  Within your congregation you probably have women whose experiences fall along a continuum of ranging removal of one or both breasts followed by chemotherapy to those who now are just receiving hormonal therapy.  The  Susan Love Foundation provides you with the information required to be supportive to all women as you explain the various treatment protocols from which women and their providers may now choose.

Continuing Education

Conferences

• April 4^th–6^th Igniting Change and Innovation: The Impact of Health Education
  Columbus, OH.  More information available

*A valuable tool on the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) website is: A Justification Toolkit & Talking Points to help you explain to your employer or funder the value to your work if you attend.   Print out the document and utilize it to facilitate the funding of your attendance at programs that will enhance your work.

• May 4^th W.I.S.E. Congregations for Mental Health Conference,
  St Paul’s United Church of Christ, Downers Grove, IL.

This one-day conference offers:

• Ways congregations can address mental health concerns
• Stories from persons affected by mental health issues
• Practical steps to engage in a mental health ministry
• Introduction to the WISE (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, Engaged) Covenant
• Network with those who are on the journey to address mental health challenges
• On-going support

FCNs find this information helpful as you more fully incorporate mental health strategies and the care of those affected by mental illness into your health ministry. To learn more and to register go to the UCC Mental Health Network   

• June 7^th Enhancing Your Parish Nurse Ministry: Tools for Your Toolbox, St Anselm College, Manchester, NH.  Alyson Breich, MSN, RN-BC as a Faith Community Nurse, Commissioned Minister of Congregational Health in the UCC and lead editor for the 3^rd edition of Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice will present at this all day conference.  The brochure is available
  
• June 18^th – 21^st Innovations in Faith-Based Nursing Conference, Indiana Wesleyan University – School of Nursing, Marion, IN. For more information go to Nursing Innovations

• July 19^th – 22^nd Infusing Hope in Nursing: A Christian Perspective, at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA. For more information go to Nurses Christian Fellowship International Regional Conference

• 7^th – 9^th Practice & Presence: A Gathering for Christians in Healthcare, at Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC. More information is available at Duke Divinity School.

• 8^th – 10^th The Sacred Practice of Caring: Partnering for a Healthy, Hopeful Future. Health Ministries Asso. Annual Conference and Meeting in Erlanger, KY (Right next to Cincinnati Airport) Save The Date Flyer
  

Webinars

You may register for Webinars, available free from the Insurance Board:

• March 14^th, 2:00 (EST) - Driver Management for Owned and Non-owned Vehicles

• April 11^th, 2:00 (EST) - Risk Management for Camps

• May 9^th, 2:00 (EST) - Ladder Safety
  

• August 8^th, 2:00 (EST) – Unique Risks – Preventing Sexual Abuse in the School Environment
  

• 12^th, 2:00 (EST) – Trending Risk Management Concerns for Churches

DATES ON YOUR UCC CALENDAR

Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate health ministry activities with programming of other ministries.  Direct links are provided when available

March 4^th-10^th  UCC Women’s Week
This year you are invited into an exploration based on More Bad Girls of the Bible by the Rev. Barbara Essex and inspired by women’s experience in the current media, especially women involved in campaigns for justice for women, such as #MeToo, and #TimesUp.  Bible Study and Service Prayers are available for use during this week or at a future time.

April 6^th-8^th      UCC New England Women’s Celebration, Portland, ME
                         Open to all women Information and registration

May 20^th           Mental Health Sunday                        

June 24^th          Open and Affirming Sunday
                         (Materials will be available through the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition website)

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?

Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?

That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably.  Contact Peggy Matteson

Mind, Body, Spirit: Linking Lives for Health and Wholeness

The Faith Community Nurse Health Ministry Newsletter

January/February 2018, Vol. 3, Issue 1

SPIRITUAL CARE

As faith community nurses we are intentional “ about the care of the spirit as well as the promotion of whole-person health and the prevention or minimization of illness within the context of the faith community and the wider community” we serve (ANA/HMA, 2017, pg. 1).  

There are many definitions of spiritual care.  The one that guides our nursing specialty practice is: “The practical expression of presence, guidance, and interventions, individual or communal, to support, nurture, or encourage an individual’s or group’s ability to achieve wholeness; health; personal, spiritual, religious and social well-being; integration of body, mind, and spirit; and a sense of connection to self, others, and a higher power” (ANA/HMA, 2017, pg. 90). 

This definition explains:

• The skills we use: “The practical expression of presence, guidance, and interventions, individual or communal”
• The purpose of our nursing care: “to support, nurture, or encourage an individual’s or group’s ability to achieve wholeness; health; personal, spiritual, religious and social well-being;”
• The outcomes expected: “integration of body, mind, and spirit; and a sense of connection to self, others, and a higher power.”

How can we translate this definition into the actually care we provide and the programming we coordinate?  Consideration of that question will be on on-going thread in this newsletter this year.   Please share resources that you have found helpful related to assessment of spiritual strengths and needs, how you determined desired outcomes, the process you followed to develop and implement a plan, who else was involved, and what did you learn as you evaluated the outcomes of care?  What will you do differently next time?

Please send along all ideas to peggymatteson@cox.net and we will together work them into information for the newsletter.

SELF-CARE

As spiritual leaders we are called to meet the needs of others.  We pray for them, we counsel and encourage them often while unintentionally neglecting our own spiritual health.

In The Spiritual Leader’s Guide to Self-Care by Rochelle Melander and Harold Eppley the reader is asked to consider: When you imagine yourself doing something wonderfully spiritual what would it be? and  What personal spiritual practices have you found helpful in the past?  The answers to these questions are unique to each of us and will vary over time based on our ever changing life experiences. 

After choosing one or more spiritual practices we then need to take the necessary time and process to integrate them into our life.  By consciously attending to our own spiritual care we will improve our effectiveness as a spiritual leader for others.

RESOURCES FOR OUR PRACTICE

Educational Tools

• “Put The Fire Under Us”: Church Spurs Parishioners To Plan For Illness and Death.

Nationwide, only a third of Americans have documented their end-of-life wishes, and for black adults 65 or older, rates are much

lower.  A pastor in Boston is trying to close this gap by facilitating end-of-life planning workshops at her church. To read more Google the title.   You can implement a program such as this, too.

Two items below provide information about organ donation an important topic when discussing end-or-life issues.   The resources will help you organize one of your workshops

• Talking About the Opioid Epidemic

1 in 5 Americans say they know someone who has died from a prescription painkiller overdose (Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll, 11/17).  To facilitate discussion around this topic a poster and a power point presentation are available for download from the Kaiser Family Foundation survey results

RESOURCES FOR OUR ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Exploring organ donation with families of pediatric patients. When a family within our faith community has a child who has dying and are considering organ donation we need to know how to best support them as they consider this difficult decision.  The article which appeared in the Oct. 2017 issue of American Nurse Today offers valuable information and may be read on-line

• Sharing the Gift of Life – A Resource Guide for Faith Leaders on Organ and Tissue Donation and National Donor Sabbath provides information about how we may support people of all ages who are asking about organ donation. Download brochure

Continuing Education

On-line Continuing Education Opportunity 

• Update: What Nurses Need to Know About Human Trafficking. Human trafficking is much broader than, but also includes sex trafficking.  Victims of human trafficking in the U.S. live in cities, towns, suburbs, and rural areas and are made to work within a variety of industries and services.  Learn more so you can make your faith community more aware of the problem and how the church may be supportive of victims.  There is also information on how to identify youth who may unknowingly fall into a recruiting scheme and how to guide them.  The full article with a number of resources is available at Journal of Christian Nursing.  Directions for the Online CE Test is available at Test for 2.0 contact hours

Conferences 

• Refresh Your Soul Conference on Positive Aging, March 12^th, 9:00am to 3:30 pm at the Cintas Center at Xavier University. Keynote speaker: Dr. Gary Chapman, best selling author of The 5 Love Languages.  For more information go to  com/RYS

• Igniting Change and Innovation: The Impact of Health Education, April 4^th–6^th Columbus, OH.  More information available

*A valuable tool on the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) website is: A Justification Toolkit & Talking Points to help you explain to your employer or funder the value to your work if you attend.   Print out the document and utilize it to facilitate the funding of your attendance at programs that will enhance your work.

• Innovations in Faith-Based Nursing Conference, June 18^th-21^st, Indiana Wesleyan University – School of Nursing, Marion, IN. For more information go to Nursing Innovations

• Infusing Hope in Nursing: A Christian Perspective, July 19^th-22^nd at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA. For more information go to Nurses Christian Fellowship International Regional Conference
  

• The Sacred Practice of Caring: Partnering for a Healthy, Hopeful Future, Sept. 8^th-10^th Erlanger, KY (Right next to Cincinnati Airport) Save The Date Flyer

Webinars 

• 9^th, 2:00 (EST) - Keeping Your Congregation Safe: Tips for Preventing Sexual Harassment in Your Church. This presentation will discuss what sexual harassment is, how it manifests itself in congregations, and how to respond in the current legal landscape.  The presenter will share case studies and answer questions. Register to join the webinar for a better understanding of this important topic, how to prevent it, and what to do if it is happening in your church.

Register for this free webinar presented by the Insurance Board.  If you miss the live presentation it is still available on the website and listed under Past Webinars.

You may also register for future Webinars, free from the Insurance Board:

• March 14^th, 2:00 (EST) - Driver Management for Owned and Non-owned Vehicles
• April 11^th, 2:00 (EST) - Risk Management for Camps
• May 9^th, 2:00 (EST) - Ladder Safety
• August 8^th, 2:00 (EST) – Unique Risks – Preventing Sexual Abuse in the School Environment
• 12^th, 2:00 (EST) – Trending Risk Management Concerns for Churches

DATES ON YOUR UCC CALENDAR

Some of these dates provide the opportunity to integrate health ministry activities with programming of other ministries.  Direct links are provided when available

Feb. 11^th              Racial Justice Sunday

March 4^th-10^th     UCC Women’s Week
                            (Materials will be available on UCC website) 

April 6^th-8^th         UCC New England Women’s Celebration, Portland, ME
                            Open to all women Information and registration

May 20^th              Mental Health Sunday
                            (Materials will be available through UCC website)

June 24^th             Open and Affirming Sunday
                            (Materials will be available through the UCC website)

FUTURE ISSUES

Have something you want to share with your colleagues?

Are you looking for something to assist you in your ministry?

That which we share with others multiplies immeasurably.  Contact Peggy Matteson